|
|
History and Current Events September 2020
|
|
|
|
Caste : The Origins of Our Discontents (ebook)
by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns identifies the qualifying characteristics of historical caste systems to reveal how a rigid hierarchy of human rankings, enforced by religious views, heritage and stigma, impact everyday American lives
|
|
|
Life of a Klansman : A Family History in White Supremacy
by Edward Ball
The author of Slaves in the Family presents a trenchant exploration of a family’s legacy of white supremacy, detailing how Louisiana carpenter Constant Lecorgne joined the KKK to promote fanatical racism in post-Civil War America. 50,000 first printing. Illustrations.
|
|
|
A Short History of the World According to Sheep (ebook)
by Sally Coulthard
"Sally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a vivid and colourful tapestry, brimful of engaging anecdotes and remarkable ovine facts, whose multiple strands reflect the deep penetration of these woolly animals into every aspect of human society and culture," (Hoopla 2020).
|
|
|
Separated : Inside an American Tragedy (also on ebook)
by Jacob Soboroff
The award-winning NBC News and MSNBC correspondent presents a deeply personal report from America’s borders on the wrenching human realities behind the Trump administration’s infamous decision to systematically separate thousands of children from their migrant families. 100,000 first printing.
|
|
Exploration and Exploitation
|
|
|
El Norte : The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America (ebook)
by Carrie Gibson
Because of our shared English language, as well as the celebrated origin tales of the Mayflower and the rebellion of the British colonies, the United States has prized its Anglo heritage above all others. However, as Carrie Gibson explains with great depth and clarity in El Norte, the nation has much older Spanish roots--ones that have long been unacknowledged or marginalized. The Hispanic past of the United States predates the arrival of the Pilgrims by a century, and has been every bit as important inshaping the nation as it exists today. El Norte chronicles the sweeping and dramatic history of Hispanic North America from the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century to the present--from Ponce de Leon's initial landing in Florida in 1513 to Spanish control of the vast Louisiana territory in 1762 to the Mexican-American War in 1846 and up to the more recent tragedy of post-hurricane Puerto Rico and the ongoing border acrimony with Mexico.
|
|
| Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood... by William CarlsenWhat it's about: In 1839, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British architect Frederick Catherwood explored the jungles of Yucatán, where they encountered 1,500-year-old Mayan ruins.
Why it matters: Stephens and Catherwood's findings challenged their contemporaries' notions of Indigenous cultural inferiority.
Read it for: a lively and evocative tale of friendship, adventure, and rediscovery. |
|
| The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure by Carl HoffmanWhat it's about: two enigmatic Westerners -- one a "buccaneer," the other a "do-gooder" -- who called Borneo home in the 1970s and '80s.
Starring: American art dealer Michael Palmieri, who made a fortune acquiring native relics for museums; and Swiss environmentalist Bruno Manser, who lived among the Penan tribe, fought logging efforts in the region, and mysteriously disappeared in 2000.
Awards buzz: This haunting cautionary tale from travel writer Carl Hoffman was a 2019 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Fact Crime and a Banff Mountain Book Awards Finalist. |
|
| To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age... (ebook and Audiobook) by Edward J. LarsonWhat it is: a breathless account of a pivotal year for exploration, which saw concurrent expeditions led by Ernest Shackleton, Robert Peary, and Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi.
Where they went: Shackleton headed to Antarctica, where he set a new Farthest South record; Peary embarked on his eighth North Pole expedition; the Duke of the Abruzzi led a summit of K2 in Asia.
Read it for: an evocative narrative that's "so well-related as to make you feel the chill" (Kirkus Reviews). |
|
|
The Earth Shall Weep : A History of Native America (ebook)
by James Wilson
A comprehensive, authoritative history of Native America draws on ethnography, archaeology, Indian oral tradition, and other sources to document the evolution of native cultures and examines the collision between indigenous cultures and European settlers over the course of the past four centuries. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|